


Concentrate

by Ticklishanimeboysaremylife



Category: Onward (2020)
Genre: Fluff, Magic, Other, Tickle Games, Tickle fic, Tickling, cartoons, strictly platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:28:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ticklishanimeboysaremylife/pseuds/Ticklishanimeboysaremylife
Summary: Barley’s helping Ian out with some spells and decided to add an extra factor to their training.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Concentrate

“Why are we even doing this?” Ian complained, leaning against the back of the van, renamed Guinevere II accordingly. In his hands was the staff left to him by his father, or rather a splinter of it grown to human size. Right now he was tapping it impatiently against the floor. He had plans with the kids from science class later, and he was anxious to get this over with and get going.

“Just because you managed to pull off a couple cool tricks when you were desperate doesn’t mean it’s gonna be that easy all the time.” Barley pulled the spell book out of his duffel bag, dusting off the pages. “You need practice, and what better way to practice than with your beloved brother, master of all things magic and/or awesome?”

Ian rolled his eyes, slumping back on the van. Clearly he wasn’t getting out of this anytime soon. “This whole thing is pointless!”

“So you say now, but what if a bigger dragon comes, ay brother? Then what shall thee do?”

“Quit talking like that, and give that here.” Ian snatched the book out of his hands, flipping it open. “Alright, what should we try first. Lighting, bubble transportation, the ability to talk to fish?” Ian squinted. “What are some of these?”

Barley leaned over his shoulder, flipping it back a few pages. “No, more something like… there!”

Ian raised an eyebrow. “A growth spell? Didn’t I already learn this?”

“Technically, yes,” Barley admitted. “But we’ve got to work on your concentration! In the heat of battle anything could happen, and I sincerely doubt enemies are going to wait around so you can find your happy place or whatever. You’ve got to be able to focus through anything!”

“Okay,” Ian said, a tad nervously. “What did you have in mind?”

“You’ll see.” At Ian’s look, he added, “Look, it wouldn’t catch you off guard if you knew what it was! I promise it’ll be fine, just trust me.”

“Because that always goes so well,” Ian muttered as he turned around, hefting the stick into the air. In front of him was a flower Barley had plucked from their mother’s garden, something she would most likely be less than happy about later. He closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath to steady himself. “Okay. Here goes nothing. Magnora Gan—”

He never got to finish the rest of the spell, because at the moment two fingers jabbed suddenly into his sides. Ian squeaked, jumping nearly a foot in the air. “Barley!”

“I told you,” Barley replied as Ian whirled angrily on him. “You need to be able to concentrate through anything.”

“Even tickling?” Ian demanded, a bit nervously. “When would there ever be a situation when a monster comes up and tries to tickle me?”

“The tickle monster,” Barley pointed out helpfully.

“Ha, ha.”

“It could happen! Look, you’re not seriously afraid of a little tickling, are you?”

“No,” Ian lied, hoping the blush on his face wasn’t too obvious. “Of course not. Besides, I’m not even ticklish anymore.”

Barley stared at him in disbelief, before a grin crossed his features. Ian knew that grin and took a quick step back. “Not ticklish, eh?”

“N-Nope,” Ian agreed, clutching the stick tighter.

“Hmm…” Barley tilted his head thoughtfully. “I mean, I guess there’s no real point to doing this test then, is there? I mean, if you’re not ticklish the test would be a breeze!”

Ian’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Right. So you’re not going to—”

“But we should at least rule it out, right?” Barley continued and Ian’s stomach dropped. “Just to make sure. What do you say?”

There was really no way out of this. If he said he didn’t want to do it he would have to own up to being ticklish. But alternatively, there was no way he could concentrate on anything, let alone a spell, while Barley was tickling him. In the end though, Ian forced a casual smile onto his face and straightened out his back. “Sure, why not?”

Barley smirked, seeing through him instantly, but declined to say anything about it as Ian got back in position. He raised the staff once more, his skin tingling as he realized how exposed it left him. “Elbows up,” Barley reminded him, and Ian reluctantly lifted his elbows, raising his arms even higher.

“You ready?” Barley inquired, suddenly right behind him. Ian just barely managed to hold back a startled jump.

“Y-Yeah.” Ian steeled himself. It was just a couple seconds of tickling; surely he could take it? 

“Okay… Magnora GahAH!”

In less than a second Ian was on the ground, protectively clutching his armpits. Barley crouched down next to him, barely holding back a triumphant grin. He patted him on the shoulder, shaking his head. “What, uh, what happened there bro? Thought you weren’t ticklish.

“I’m not,” Ian gritted out, clambering to his feet once more. “You just startled me is all.”

“Oh okay, I see.” Barley nodded in mock understanding. “You want to try again?”

Ian nodded in turn, promising himself that he wasn’t going to react this time. This time he was prepared.

“Magnora Ga—ahaha, ehehe, nohohoOHOHO!”

Five tries later, Ian now found himself unable to even put his arms up, giggling in anticipation as he watched Barely behind him. He started to slowly, reluctantly, raise his arms, but the second he saw Barley’s fingers twitch in preparation he shot them back down again. “W-Wahahait, no!”

“Dude, I swear to god I’m not even touching you.” Barley held up his hands to prove the fact. “Not ticklish my butt. This is ridiculous.”

“I’m n-not tihicklish!” Ian insisted, unable to stop a helpless grin from tugging at his lips. “Just… give me a second, okay?”

“Fine.”

Ian closed his eyes, taking several shaky breaths. He could do this. He would do this. “Okay. Try again.”

This time he raised his arms confidentially, forcing himself to not think about the approaching tickles and just focus on saying the spell coherently. “Last time,” he muttered under his breath. “Magnora… uh, Magnora Gantuahahahaha—”

He broke into laughter as fingers, this time much slower and softer, crawled up his sides like two, unbearable spiders. Every inch of him begged to pull his arms down right then and there and end the torment, but he knew if he didn’t do it then he might never get the spell right. So he steeled himself, arms shaking as he attempted to choke out the words through his laughter.

“M-Mahahagnora… Ehehehe… ehe… Magnorahahaha… pfft, wahahait, nohoho…. M-mahahahagnorahahaha Gahahahantuhuhu… nohoho!”

Every time he started the spell anew Barley would move onto a new spot so he was never able to acclimate to the feeling. Currently, his fingers were scribbling away at his belly, a spot Ian had always been particularly weak to. He had forgotten about it, but evidently Barley had not.

“B-Bahahaharley!” he accused, unable to sound particularly angry through a mouthful of giggles.

“Hmm?” Barley asked, as though he had forgotten entirely about the other boy’s presence. “Am I—is this bothering you? I wonder why?”

“Stahahahap!” Ian whined, not sure if he meant the teasing or the tickling. Maybe both. Maybe neither. All he knew was that Barley’s fingers were driving him insane. “Nohohoho!”

“It couldn’t be,” Barley continued, ignoring him completely. “That this tickles?”

Ian blushed violently. “Shuhuhuhut uhuhuhuhuhup!”

“But how can this be?” Barley puzzled, pinching now at his stomach and making Ian tremble and yelp. “I could’ve sworn you said you weren’t ticklish. Unless, you were lying this whole time, and you really are ticklish!”

“Bahahaharley!”

“Are you ticklish, Ian?” Barley asked innocently, squeezing his hipbones in an unbearably tickly manner. “Huh? Is that why you’re having trouble saying the spell?”

Ian squeaked, nearly dropping his arms but at the last second pulling them back up again. It tickled more than he would have thought possible, and a large part of him was tempted to just throw the towel in. He knew deep down, however, that there was no real way out of this unless he said the spell. Pulling in a final breath, he blurted the words out as quickly as possible. “M-Magnora Gantuan!”

They both gasped in surprise as blue lightning shot from his staff and suddenly the flower, before lying discarded on the floor, now was nearly the size of Ian himself. Barley stilled his fingers as they both stared in shock at the sight.

For a moment they were speechless. Then Barley stood up, slapping him affectionately on the shoulder. “You did it! See? I told you this would help.”

Despite himself, a tiny spark of pride bloomed in Ian’s chest at the sight of the flower. He did do it. “Y-Yeah. I guess it did, in its own weird way.”

“Does this mean we should incorporate tickling into all of your spell-training?”

“No,” Ian replied flatly, turning to head into the house. “Absolutely not. That was a one-time thing.”

“Oh c’mon, but it worked so well!” Barley protested, following after Ian. “Besides, I know you had fun too.”

“I did not,” Ian lied, flushing. If he was being honest with himself, it had been kind of fun to laugh and hang out with his brother like they used to. And he had never really minded their tickle fights as kids either, only the fact that it was so usually one-sided. Not that he was ever going to tell his brother that. “It was horrible and terrible and it will never happen again.”

“I think someone’s lying~!” Barley sang, poking him from behind. “It’s okay—I’ll just tickle you until you tell me the truth.”

“Wha—no—Barley—stop!”

Barley continued to tickle him long past he had confessed to not only the fact that he had fun, but many other things too, but in the end Ian couldn’t find it in himself to be angry.

Admittedly, it did make it a bit harder to explain why he was late to his friends, but Ian managed to ramble of some random excuse about homework and they all shrugged in acceptance.

True to his word, Barley did manage to include tickling in all of their training after that, but in the end Ian found he almost didn’t mind.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at my tumblr: https://happyandticklish.tumblr.com/


End file.
